The present application claims priority to Swedish Patent Application No. 0101891-0 filed May 28, 2001. Said application is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a load carrier foot arrangement, comprising a load carrier foot which supports a load carrier and which is designed to be mounted on an elongated rail profile which is mounted on a vehicle body, preferably the roof thereof. The rail profile has a cross-section exhibiting a cavity and upturned walls enclosing between them a gap which is in communication with the cavity and wherein the walls in one area thereof exhibit a mounting opening in which the load carrier foot is mounted. At least one of the walls exhibits along its length one or more notches and the load carrier foot has a locking device including a locking plate which is located in the cavity when the load carrier foot is mounted on the rail profile. The locking plate is attached by connecting elements to a locking spindle which is rotatably mounted in the load carrier foot and equipped with a first set of eccentric cams to which the connecting elements are attached in such a manner that the locking plate is moved towards and away from the load carrier foot depending on the direction of rotation of the locking spindle. By this action, the locking plate is brought into engagement with the walls of the rail when moved in the locking direction towards the load carrier foot and in this way the load carrier foot is prevented from moving along the rail profile. The locking spindle has a second eccentric area to which a retaining catch is rotatably mounted. The retaining catch, when the locking plate is moved in the direction of the load carrier foot, is inserted into a notch in the rail when the load carrier foot is so positioned on the rail profile that the retaining catch assumes a position on the rail profile which is aligned with a notch. In this way, any movement of the load carrier foot along the rail profile is prevented through the interference of the retaining catch with the edges of the notch in the event that the load carrier foot shifts on the rail profile.
2. Background Art
A load carrier foot arrangement having similar purpose to that described above is disclosed in Swedish Patent Application SE 9901417-7. The drawback of this earlier solution, however, is that it is possible to mount the load carrier foot on the rail profile in the mounting area and, while the foot is still in this area, to turn the locking spindle to the locked position without either the locking plate or the retaining catch coming into engagement with the rail profile. This results in the load carrier foot not being secured to the rail profile, which can have disastrous consequences if the load carrier comes loose from the rail profile while the vehicle on which it is mounted is in motion. A further drawback of this earlier known solution is that it can be difficult to bring the load carrier foot into such a position on the rail profile that the retaining catch coincides with a notch in the rail. This means that exact fitting is required, which can be perceived as bothersome and irritating.
The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks by means of an arrangement of the type earlier described and characterized in that the retaining catch possesses a stop face and a sensing element. The retaining catch is prestressed by a tensioning means to a position such that the stop face interferes obstructively with the load carrier foot and prevents rotation of the locking spindle in a locking direction when the sensing element is not actuated. The mounting opening is of such a size that the sensing element is not actuated when the load carrier foot is installed in the mounting opening.
The present invention is further characterized in that the sensing element, when the load carrier foot is moved along the rail profile away from its original mounting or installation position, it is continuously actuated in opposition to the prestressing force by the rail wall that exhibits the notches to assume a position such that the stop face can move past the load carrier foot, but in which position the stop face interferes obstructively with the top of the rail wall and prevents rotation of the locking spindle in the locking direction.
The present invention may further be characterized in that the retaining catch exhibits a stop face and a sensing element and that the retaining catch is prestressed by a tensioning means to a position such that the sensing element contacts the rail wall having the notches as the load carrier foot is moved along the rail profile. Further, the sensing element is snapped into the notches by the prestressing force as the sensing element moves past such notches thereby providing an indication of those positions of the load carrier foot on the rail in which the retaining catch can be inserted down into the notch.